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Book Of Christmas
Christmas. The biggest party in the world. The most widely celebrated festival on Earth. But why do we celebrate it the way we do? Over the years great scholars and gifted academics have wrestled each other to a bloodied standstill over the question of Christmas, only to retire baffled and broken. In The Book of Christmas , best-selling author and acclaimed historian, Christopher Winn, casts a revealing eye over the stories, myths and legends of the most celebrated festival of the Christmas. In this lovingly written collection of festive myths, legends and (quite often) bizarre traditions, discover the fascinating truth behind some of our most cherished Christmas rituals and customs. Along with a detailed Christmas timeline outlining significant moments and stories throughout history as well as the evolution behind many of the more mainstream customs, Christopher Winn unearths all sorts of unusual and symbolic traditions from around the world; from the Druidical origins of the parasitic plant mistletoe and why we now associate it with kissing, to Japan's predilection for a Kentucky Fried Chicken Christmas dinner, to why we send cards, hang decorations, sing carols, eat turkey and much, much more - discover the fascinating truth (and oddities) behind this very special holiday. Beautifully produced and charmingly illustrated, The Book of Christmas is a treasure trove of all things Christmas to delight the whole family.
152 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 2020
7 people are currently reading
65 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 13 of 13 reviews
November 12, 2019
If you love Christmas like I do then you'll love this- it's a book of beautiful illustrations, fun, informative facts and plenty of random trivia about the big day!
Not alot to say about it, it's well written, interesting, festive and definitely gets you in the mood for Christmas!
Www.thebeautifulbookbreak.com
Not alot to say about it, it's well written, interesting, festive and definitely gets you in the mood for Christmas!
Www.thebeautifulbookbreak.com
December 29, 2018
Loved reading this with my son. Chock-full of interesting and unexpected tidbits. Great for the season :)
December 3, 2019
This wasn't anything special. A bit like reading a Wikipedia page about Christmas really. Just one droll fact after another. There were some interesting chapters (particularly about songs and food) but it doesn't contain much the average person doesn't already know.
December 22, 2022
Fantastic book full of all kinds of festive facts. Great read for trivia lovers
January 5, 2021
Magically made me fall in love with Christmas all over again. A lovely read with simple and beautiful illustrations.
I'm a little confused by some people's thoughts about this book. People were expecting to find something new from one of the oldest celebrations in the world... good luck with that! What were you expecting - titbits from the future?
And for those who seemingly already knew everything that was in this book... really? Well then dear reader I think its time you retired.
I'm a little confused by some people's thoughts about this book. People were expecting to find something new from one of the oldest celebrations in the world... good luck with that! What were you expecting - titbits from the future?
And for those who seemingly already knew everything that was in this book... really? Well then dear reader I think its time you retired.
December 2, 2022
I’ve been stowing this book away to read on December 1st, as it’s the perfect wintery Christmas December read!
I really enjoyed learning about the origins of many of our Christmas traditions. From carols, to Christmas Turkey, to crackers and the twelve days of Christmas. It was really insightful and interesting to read. I did learn a lot from it and can claim to be a fountain of Christmas knowledge now!
The layout of the book was great too. With some wonderful illustrations and the text broken up with huge chunks of red festive writing and interspersed with the main meaty chunks of text. And in the margins, the odd festive cracker joke which was a nice addition. It was heavy on the content and depth of some traditions (some may be put off by this) which I found great and I loved reading about the traditions of other countries and an in depth dive into the ‘Twas the night before Christmas’ poem. A great December read!
I really enjoyed learning about the origins of many of our Christmas traditions. From carols, to Christmas Turkey, to crackers and the twelve days of Christmas. It was really insightful and interesting to read. I did learn a lot from it and can claim to be a fountain of Christmas knowledge now!
The layout of the book was great too. With some wonderful illustrations and the text broken up with huge chunks of red festive writing and interspersed with the main meaty chunks of text. And in the margins, the odd festive cracker joke which was a nice addition. It was heavy on the content and depth of some traditions (some may be put off by this) which I found great and I loved reading about the traditions of other countries and an in depth dive into the ‘Twas the night before Christmas’ poem. A great December read!
December 14, 2019
This is a beautifully set out book full of interesting facts and views covering Christmas across the world. There are a nice assortment of graphics accompanied but a selection of cracker jokes.
It highlights how traditions vary from country to country.
Although I enjoyed the book which is easy to pick up and read in small sections I was left feeling that there was very little 'new' in the text.
Overall an enjoyable 3 and a book that can be shared around family and friends. Possibly also a good source for compiling a family Christmas quiz
It highlights how traditions vary from country to country.
Although I enjoyed the book which is easy to pick up and read in small sections I was left feeling that there was very little 'new' in the text.
Overall an enjoyable 3 and a book that can be shared around family and friends. Possibly also a good source for compiling a family Christmas quiz
December 24, 2020
This nonfiction account of origins of the Christmas holiday, it’s traditions and decorations, was enlightening and fun. It is written by a British author, so the focus is mainly on traditions and foods in the UK, but shared the backstories for other countries as well. The writing style was engaging and light, and the illustrations made the book a treasure. An added bonus were the cracker jokes throughout- “Why are
Christmas trees so bad at sewing? -They are always dropping needles!”
Christmas trees so bad at sewing? -They are always dropping needles!”
February 18, 2020
I bought this book for my birthday when visiting a lovely bookshop in York just after Christmas. The cover drew me to it, it is beautiful. I have been dibbing into it on and off since the start of the new year. It is a really nice book, with lots of facts, stories and the history behind most of our Christmas traditions. A really nice read.
December 6, 2020
I bought this last year but then didn't find the time to read it! What a fab book, stuffed to the gunwales with facts about Christmas, from its Pagan origins to its adoption as a celebration of "Christ's Mass", from the United Kingdom and through Europe to the Americas and Australasia. Really interesting. 🎄☃️🎁🎅📚
January 2, 2021
A collection of facts and traditions about Christmas from the perspective of many different countries and cultures. Some of the details were known to me beforehand, some not, but this book collects them all in easy to digest fashion. An Excellent Read.
December 10, 2019
I learnt so much about Christmas from this book. Full of interesting facts and stories. The perfect book to pick up over Christmas and read.
January 9, 2022
Fascinating! Lots of information about the history of the celebration of Christmas, both pagan and religious.
Displaying 1 - 13 of 13 reviews